


Resurgence of the First

by Sammisel



Category: No Man's Sky (Video Game)
Genre: Gek Centric, Mental Health Issues, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 18:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18970660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sammisel/pseuds/Sammisel
Summary: The Gek, a portly statured amphibious race, once the self-proclaimed masters of the Outer Rim, now stand equal as merchants and explorers to the other sentient races. The Korvax, the race of simulated consciousness housed in robotic casings, once slaves to both the Aerons and the Gek, now stand equal as creators and researchers to the other sentient races. The Vy’keen, the honorable and proud warrior race, once fierce rivals to the endless power of Atlas, now reduced to equals as mercenaries and workers to the other races. Though the treaty they share has remained for thousands of cycles, the ability to see eye to eye with each other is dimming each passing day. Separate stations, separate systems. Spies, thieves, assassins. War is inevitable between the three, and all are aware. It is only a matter of time before the first public strike is made.





	Resurgence of the First

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I love No Man's Sky, so I thought I'd write something for it. I may go back to finish old fics, but who knows. My spurts of creativity and ideas are very random, as it is for everyone. So please, if you like them, be patient! =)

Director Essi sat quietly at his workstation, toying about with the holo-terminus laid in front of him. Plenty of orders and requests, but no WorkGek to take them. He huffed, scrolling through the lists. A request for a stack of Uranium and Paraffinium. Not likely to be completed any time soon, as none of the planets in this system carried the elements. A request to destroy the new outcrop of meddlesome pirates… most likely going to be ignored. As he released an unpleasant scent, a familiar face greeted him.

“Director Essi!” said the new arrival. “So glad, so glad to see you!”

“To you too, Resource Analyst Batunent,” he responded. “Anything to report?”

“Only request to fill trade terminal. Low on Oxygen, Carbon, and Ferrite Dust. Completely out of Pure Ferrite!”

Essi tipped his head to the side and released a tangy scent.

“Out of?” he asked. “Who is buying?”

“Don’t know, but have a hunch,” Batunent said. “Heard from Underling that there is big construction on near planet. I think Overseer is building new trade station!”

“Pointless! No one comes here. Worthless planets!”

“Don’t say, don’t say! Might anger Overseer.”

“Hmph,” he grunted. He typed out a request form to import the elements to nearby systems. What he got back was-

“Ah! Outrageous!” Essi cried, emitting a foul odor. “Just because we are Gek, they charge more! Will be running a deficit if keep charging what we are now.”

Batunent peeked over the work table and shook his head in disappointment.

“Stupid Korvax,” he mumbled. A shout rang through the station, calling for Batunent’s presence. “Ah, must go, so sorry for you, Essi. May next cycle bring more units!”

“Yes, many thanks,” Essi said, waving. Grumbling but powerless to do anything against the unreasonable expenditure of units, he ordered the requested elements. Propping his legs atop the work table, he opened a tablet to entertain himself. The brightness of the screen made him squint as he browsed through random news, updating himself on the everyday going ons of the universe.

 

He hadn’t realized that he fell asleep as he found himself flat on the floor with a concerned Hireling peering over his desk at him. It chirped a nervous hello and asked for work. He jumped to his feet, brushing off any dust and embarrassment that may have covered him, and promptly showed the Hireling any jobs to complete. As it gazed over the list, Essi found that his request for the elements have been fulfilled. He glanced at the nearby trade terminals. Every single one had a WorkGek attending it!

“Hireling,” he spoke, startling the Gek. “Have you heard about construction project? On near planet. Do you know?”

“E-eh, have heard!” it said, stuttering slightly. “Because I work on it!”

“Well, what is it?”

“N-nothing special, no! Just trade station, yes!”

Its bulging eyes flitted from side to side, refusing to rest on him. It emitted a scent that was startlingly similar to burning exocraft exhaust.

“Good pay, good pay, yes! Is all question answered?”

“Yes, all question answered. Have chosen a request?”

“Yes, yes, I choose, I choose!”

Seemingly at random, it jabbed a scaly claw at a certain request to scan local flora. Then, without saying anything further, it scampered back into its starship, taking off with a deafening roar. 

Essi scratched his head, scanning the station. All of the WorkGek have vanished, along with the Overseer. A tangy fragrance surrounded him. However, as mysterious as this was, he was not in a position to do as he pleased. He sat himself squarely on the plush chair once more and mindlessly went back to work.

 

Not too shortly after filing some reports, yet another Gek appeared before him. 

“So many customers today!” he said, looking up from his holo-terminus. The request hologram flickered on, blinking several times. “Any specific job, friend?”

“No job, want to talk to you,” said the Gek. Essi slowly went to turn off the hologram but was beaten to the punch by the newcomer. He squinted and covered what seemed to be the entire station with the tangy smell.

“…Talk?” he asked.

“I smell your confusion,” said the Gek. “I am Captain Piebrev. I come from system Zariah Centuri.”

Piebrev flashed a holo-symbol from a badge. The symbol seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place it. He waited for the Captain to continue.

“There is report that SynthetiGek are here. You know anything?”

“No, no, not know.”

Oddly, Essi could not detect any trace of scent from him.

“Hm. Be careful,” he said, scanning the work table. “Could be anywhere. I will scan your station.”

“Oh!” said Essi. “You misunderstand. I not Overseer. I standing in for her.”

“Is fine,” was all the Captain said as he flashed a scan. It seemed that he found something, for he began determinedly walking towards a Gek leaning on the railing overseeing the starship dock. Essi watched closely as the Captain pointed accusingly at the Gek, which led to it loudly defending itself. A struggle between the two broke out, and he could smell the scent of burning plastic from his work table. Before he could break up the fight, a security bot apprehended both of them. They were then quickly taken away.

The entire station was immediately filled with a suffocating citrusy scent, all the inhabitants investigating the area in deep confusion. Essi finally decided to exit his work area to see it for himself and was greeted by his coworkers in hushed murmurs. The only evidence that there was a struggle at all was a small pool of oil.

“Director Essi, you talk to stranger Gek last, what it say?” asked one, briefly scanning the oil. She found nothing of interest.

“It was Gek from near system, name was Captain Piebrev,” he answered. “Talk of spies. Attacked Underling after scanning.”

“Underling Ivf was spy?” said another incredulously. “I don’t believe! Known Underling since hatching! Not possible!”

“Maybe Underling was replaced by SynthetiGek!” cried yet another.

“Captain was real SynthetiGek and attack Underling!”

“Korvax send SynthetiGek to kill Underling!”

The crowd continued to uproariously argue and conspire to such increased volumes that Essi clapped his claws over his ear holes.

“Director Essi, what you think?” asked Batunent, whom had only just arrived.

“I think there was misunderstanding and stranger Captain made mistake,” he replied. “No SynthetiGek.”

“Hm, maybe,” Batunent said, scratching at the base of his goggles. “Did you see in relaxation area? Both Korvax and Vy’keen there!”

“Relaxation area?” he asked. “Why you there? Your shift not done yet!”

“Hmph! Just because you stand in for Overseer not make you powerful like her. No bossing, no bossing!”

“I never boss you.”

There was a brief silence between the two. The crowd seemed to have died down and all of the Gek returned to their previous work stations to continue with their shifts. Essi stole a swift glance at the relaxation area. Through the door, he indeed caught a glimpse of the flickering light of a Korvax casing.

“No matter, no matter,” Batunent finally said. “You see them, yes? Very mysterious! Maybe they are conspiring against Gek!”

Essi let out a snort. “You speak nonsense, friend!” he said, walking back towards his work station. Batunent followed suit. “Why would they conspire? Have nothing to gain! Gek provide all trade, all jobs!”

“You think like Gek,” Batunent said, watching as his friend sat back again in his plush chair. “Remember, not all races so rational. Might cause war for ridiculous reasons!”

“Pah, war, war, war!” he said, turning on the holo-terminus. “Sounding like Vy’keen to me. There is still balance in all races, will stay that way!”

“Should be more worried,” he responded, but let the topic drop. He switched onto another. “Did you order more elements? Haven’t come in.”

Essi blinked in surprise and the now becoming familiar tangy scent rose from his body. 

“What? What you mean?” he asked, furrowing his brow. “Have been imported hours ago! You not get?”

“Eh? Let me check terminal records,” Batunent said, pulling out a tablet. He scrolled through the feed quickly. “Ah. All bought out.”

“Already!?” Essi cried. “Not possible! Ordered thousands! Cost many, many units!”

Batunent flipped the tablet over to show Essi that yes, indeed, all of the previously stocked resources were sold. In addition, so were all of the microprocessors and technology modules. An odor similar to burning Pugneum filled the air.

“Fine, will request for more,” Essi growled. “Many thanks for notification.”

“So sorry, so sorry, if any are to blame it is the WorkGek!” he protested, smiling in an attempt to placate his friend. Again, a shout called for his name. “Ah, must go. Will repay you with GekNip, is promise! Farewell!”

“Yes, many thanks,” he said sourly, giving a short wave to his friend’s leaving figure.

 

Essi glanced at the timer on his holo-terminus and sighed. It was almost time to clock out. He imagined himself relaxing in the recharge bay, perhaps reading a classic while sipping on a nice beverage. He knew, however, that he would simply fall asleep immediately instead of spending time to enjoy himself. Such was the life of a station worker.

But, he thought to himself, what a boring life! He could be outside, with his own starship! Equipped with photon cannons, he could blast through anything in his path. With his hyperdrive, he could explore any and every system that he ever wanted to. Flying through the thick atmospheres of planets, weaving through forces of both Sentinels and pirates, complete the very requests that he himself had to fill out! What a dream.

If only he had not been so easily tempted by the steady wages and relative safety of station work.

 

As he was about to climb into his recharge bay, he noticed that Batunent’s bay was empty. Not only his, but a few others as well. Normally, it wouldn’t be too unusual, but it was far beyond their time for clocking out. He didn’t wish to disturb one of the sleeping residents, but felt that there was too much going on this single day to not be noticed. He slowly sidestepped to one of the occupied neighboring bays and gingerly rapped on the metal frame. 

“SalesGek Etje?” he whispered, pressing up to the tinted glass. “You are awake?”

He heard a muffled grunt come from inside of the bay. Taking that as a sign to continue, he cleared his gizzard.

“Many strange things happen today,” he began. Etje was never the closest of his coworkers, but was the only one he knew personally that was still present. “Very suspicious things. You notice too, yes?”

The bay unlocked, and Etje’s scaly head popped out from the opening. Scowling and releasing an unpleasant odor, he faced Essi directly.

“Yes, I notice,” he mumbled. He rubbed one of his bulbous eyes. “Sleeping time now. Why bother me?”

“All coworker missing from bays, you notice?” he pressed. “So many strange thing happen today. Mystery construction on useless planet. Suspicious Gek here. SynthetiGek here. Attack in docking area. What you think?”

“Don’t know. Not care. Not problem for me. Leave now, sleeping time is now.”

“Batunent say I worry little. Now he is gone. You must worry.”

“Paranoid. He just work late. Is all.”

“Not just him. All missing. Only you and two others here.”

“Then check work place. Check docking area. Check relaxation area. Not bother me. Sleeping time for me is now. Farewell.”

With that, Etje closed his bay before Essi could get another word in. As if to mock him, he could hear the other Gek’s snores almost immediately. At least the air cleared from the foul smell. 

He knew that even if he checked the areas that his coworkers would normally be, they would not be there. Despite that, he still needed to see it for himself. And so, he exited the recharging area with newfound purpose. His first destination – the work area. 

As he stepped from the transporter’s metal door, he was greeted with a completely empty station. No Geks in the work area. Not even any attendants nor Nanite traders. He jogged to the docking area, slightly perturbed. No starships, leaving nor incoming. He turned his gaze toward the relaxation area. The flickering light of the Korvax casing was gone. 

“Atlas preserve me,” he said under his breath as he creeped towards the relaxation area. His hands jittered slightly as he turned the corner. He didn’t know what to expect. What would he do if there was no one there? What would he do if there was? What if it wasn’t Gek? He didn’t realize it, but he was emitting a highly concentrated scent similar to freshly released Mordite. 

Shivering, but not to the cold, he creeped into the relaxation area and screeched.

Laying motionless on one of the chairs was the corpse of a Korvax. The same Korvax that he saw earlier today. He swung his gaze around. The Vy’keen was missing. He swallowed his rising bile. Oil dripped from savage gashes across its casing, creating a puddle of pure rancidity that was oh so slowly spreading. Exposed wires, no longer filled with any electricity, lay limply in similar fashion to a living creatures organs would be. 

Essi found himself sitting on the cool metal floor. He didn’t know what else to do other than to stare. He didn’t even know that Korvax could die in such a manner. His thoughts raced. Who could have done this? Who WOULD have done this? Was it one of his coworkers? One of the WorkGek? The Vy’keen? Why would they have done this? What would they gain from such a gruesome murder? Was it hatred that motivated the murderer? Revenge? And in such a public place as well- It should be impossible to kill another being with all of the security bots-

The lights of the station flickered off. He jumped to his feet, shaking like a leaf. Instinctively, he pulled out his tablet only to find it wasn’t there. Right. He left it on his work table. He needed to restart the power. Activating his exosuit’s flashlight, he began to walk with stilted movement towards his work area.

The station never looked so unfamiliar.

Under the deep shade, his meager beam could only light up so much. Even the backup generator was switched off somehow. The emergency lights didn’t turn on. It felt as if there were weights attached to his ankles. With every step he took, they felt heavier and heavier. 

Down the stairs, through the docking area, one step at a time.

Up the stairs, past the recharge bay, one step at a time.

After what seemed like hours, he finally arrived. Relief bubbled in his chest as he saw that none of his belongings were tampered with or taken. Now, to reactivate the station’s power. 

He flipped open the tablet and thanked Atlas that it switched on. Hands shivering, he sluggishly navigated his way through the program. He knew he should have prepared for this. He knew he should have read the manuals. But now was not the time to blame himself. Growing mildly frustrated in spite of the situation, he released the scent of rotting fruit. Finally! He found the option to restart the power and, without a shred of hesitance, tapped it.

The lights flickered back on, and he released a squeak of jubilation. However, as quickly as he switched the tablet off, the lights followed suit. He scratched his head and attempted another restart, but the same thing occurred, even faster this time. He huffed and jabbed at the restart button. Again, the power turned off right after. The urge to throw the tablet across the station was powerful.

He tried one final time, but the lights didn’t turn on at all. Instead, the emergency lights filled the station, along with a glitching alarm bell. The shrill sound blasted throughout the station, being cut off at random intervals. It hurt his ear holes. However, now he could see with the dim crimson lights covering the station, so he switched off the exosuit flashlight. 

He had no idea what to do.

Everyone he knew was missing. There was a murder victim only a minute’s walk away, and perhaps the murderer themselves. The station’s power was cut, maybe intentionally. He started from his seat. Was he to die next!? Perhaps all of this was merely a ruse to drag him from the bay and… Who knows?

The shrieking alarm only increased in volume the longer it continued. His newly formed headache increased in magnitude as well. With semi-paralyzed limbs, he rushed back to the recharge bay. No one could sleep through this kind of alarm.  
He turned the corner, shoved the AtlasPass into the reader, and sprinted into the chamber. Breathing was difficult, but he mustered the ability to shout regardless.

“A-anyone!” he yelled out. He looked about frantically. The bays were empty. “Must evacuate! Murder at station! No power! Evacuate!”

The closet door on the other side of the room pried open a crack. He recognized the eye peering at him.

“SalesGek!” Essi cried, dashing towards him with short breath. “You leave! Murder at station! Korvax customer dead!”

“Can’t hear, alarms loud,” Etje said passively. “Stink of panic. Calm down.”

“Calm!? Calm down!?” he said incredulously. “You hear me! MURDER AT STATION! That mean security bot offline! Whole station offline! Power gone! Must leave!”

“Can’t leave,” he responded, looking down. “No starship. Neither of us have. You said station offline. That means no outward calls. We are trapped.”

“T-trapped!?” he said. He began to take in huge gulps of air, but it wasn’t enough. His heart was beating out of his chest and his chest constricted. He couldn’t stand any longer and lost his balance. Etje merely watched as his coworker lay on the floor clutching his chest, and quietly closed the closet door.

Essi could feel every inner working of his body working against him. He felt as if his heart would simply stop soon. The air he was intaking was just not enough, not enough, not enough. He couldn’t think straight – couldn’t think at all. His vision darkened, and he lost consciousness.

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell me if I portrayed an anxiety attack correctly. I do not have them in real life, so I don't know how it feels like. I tried to make it as accurate to the sources I looked up as possible, but I'm not very good at interpreting stuff like that. Thank you for reading!


End file.
